The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E is a high-performance mid-range FPGA from AMD Xilinx’s Kintex® UltraScale™ family, built on 20nm process technology. Combining exceptional DSP processing bandwidth, next-generation GTY transceivers, and a cost-effective 1156-pin FCBGA package, this device delivers an outstanding balance of capability and value for demanding embedded applications. Whether you’re designing for 100G networking, advanced signal processing, or industrial control systems, the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E is engineered to meet rigorous real-world performance requirements.
For a broader selection of programmable logic solutions, explore our full range of Xilinx FPGA products.
What Is the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E?
The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E is a member of the Kintex UltraScale FPGA family — AMD Xilinx’s first ASIC-class, all-programmable architecture. The “E” suffix in the part number indicates the Extended temperature grade, making it suitable for operation in environments where commercial-grade parts would fail. The “-1” speed grade denotes standard performance, and the FFVA1156 package specifies a fine-pitch flip-chip BGA with 1156 balls.
This device is designed around AMD Xilinx’s UltraScale architecture, which leverages next-generation routing, ASIC-like clocking, and advanced power reduction techniques to enable multi-hundred Gbps system-level performance with lower power than previous-generation FPGAs.
XCKU040-1FFVA1156E Key Specifications
Core Device Specifications
| Parameter |
Value |
| Part Number |
XCKU040-1FFVA1156E |
| Manufacturer |
AMD (Xilinx) |
| Family |
Kintex UltraScale |
| Process Technology |
20nm |
| Speed Grade |
-1 (Standard) |
| Temperature Grade |
E (Extended: –40°C to +100°C) |
| Package |
FCBGA-1156 (FFVA1156) |
| Package Size |
35mm × 35mm |
| Ball Pitch |
1.0mm |
| Mounting Type |
Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status |
Compliant |
Logic Resources
| Resource |
Count |
| System Logic Cells |
530,250 |
| CLB LUTs |
242,400 |
| CLB Flip-Flops |
484,800 |
| Distributed RAM (Mb) |
~2.7 |
| Block RAM (Mb) |
~21.1 (1,080 × 36Kb BRAMs) |
| DSP Slices |
1,920 |
| User I/O |
520 |
Clocking and Connectivity
| Feature |
Detail |
| MMCM (Mixed-Mode Clock Manager) |
Yes |
| PLL |
Yes |
| GTY Transceivers |
20 (up to 16.3 Gb/s each) |
| PCIe® Gen3 Cores |
Integrated |
| VCCINT Supply Voltage |
0.922V – 0.979V (nominal 0.95V) |
| Max User Clock Frequency |
~600 MHz (Speed Grade -1) |
| DDR4 Memory Interface |
Up to 2,400 Mb/s |
XCKU040-1FFVA1156E Part Number Decoder
Understanding the part number helps you verify the exact variant you need:
| Code Segment |
Meaning |
| XC |
Xilinx Commercial FPGA |
| KU |
Kintex UltraScale Family |
| 040 |
Device Size Identifier (530K logic cells) |
| -1 |
Speed Grade (-1 = Standard; -2 and -3 are faster) |
| FF |
Flip-Chip Fine-Pitch BGA Package Type |
| VA |
Package Variant |
| 1156 |
Number of Package Balls |
| E |
Temperature Grade (E = Extended: –40°C to +100°C) |
Temperature Grade Comparison
| Grade Suffix |
Temperature Range |
Typical Use Case |
| C (Commercial) |
0°C to +85°C |
Consumer / office environments |
| I (Industrial) |
–40°C to +100°C |
Industrial control, harsh environments |
| E (Extended) |
–40°C to +100°C |
Extended industrial / telecom |
The E grade of the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E targets applications that must tolerate wide ambient temperature swings, such as outdoor telecom equipment, ruggedized embedded systems, and industrial automation platforms.
UltraScale Architecture Advantages
ASIC-Class Routing and Clocking
The UltraScale architecture was the first programmable device architecture designed to eliminate traditional FPGA routing bottlenecks. By adopting ASIC-like clocking structures, engineers achieve tighter timing closure and more predictable performance at high utilization, directly benefiting designs that previously required costly ASIC development.
High-Performance GTY Transceivers
The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E integrates 20 GTY transceivers, each capable of operating at data rates up to 16.3 Gb/s. These support a wide range of serial protocols including PCIe Gen3, 10GbE, CPRI, JESD204B, Aurora, and many others. This transceiver density enables the device to function as a powerful connectivity hub in communications and data center infrastructure.
DSP Processing Power
With 1,920 DSP48E2 slices, the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E delivers significant fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic performance. This makes it well-suited for radar signal processing, software-defined radio (SDR), digital predistortion (DPD), image processing pipelines, and financial analytics acceleration.
Memory Architecture
The device provides Block RAM totaling ~21.1 Mb organized into 36Kb tiles. The high Block RAM-to-logic ratio allows entire signal processing pipelines and packet buffers to be implemented on-chip, minimizing external memory dependencies and reducing BOM cost.
Supported I/O Standards
The 520 user I/Os in the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E support a broad range of voltage standards:
| I/O Standard |
Supported |
| LVCMOS 3.3V / 2.5V / 1.8V / 1.5V / 1.2V |
✓ |
| LVTTL |
✓ |
| LVDS / LVDS_25 |
✓ |
| SSTL, HSUL, HSTL (various classes) |
✓ |
| PCI (33 MHz) |
✓ |
| TMDS (via LVDS-like configuration) |
✓ |
All HP (High Performance) I/O banks support the highest-speed interfaces, while HR (High Range) banks offer the widest voltage compatibility range.
Key Applications for the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E
100G Networking and Packet Processing
The combination of 20 GTY transceivers, integrated PCIe Gen3, and large on-chip memory makes this device an ideal fit for 100G Ethernet line cards, traffic managers, and network appliances that demand deterministic, low-latency packet forwarding.
Wireless Infrastructure and Baseband Processing
Kintex UltraScale FPGAs are widely deployed in 4G/5G radio access network (RAN) equipment. The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E supports CPRI/eCPRI fronthaul interfaces and offers the DSP density needed for OFDM, beamforming, and digital pre-distortion algorithms in massive MIMO systems.
Medical Imaging and Diagnostics
The device’s high DSP count and large memory resources serve advanced medical imaging pipelines, including CT reconstruction, ultrasound beamforming, and MRI signal conditioning, where real-time parallel processing is critical.
Industrial Automation and Control
The Extended temperature grade (–40°C to +100°C) qualifies this FPGA for harsh industrial environments. Motor control, machine vision, robotics, and industrial networking applications benefit from the device’s I/O flexibility and reliable high-temperature operation.
Defense and Aerospace (COTS)
While not a military-screened part, the Extended temperature rating and robust UltraScale architecture make this device attractive for COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) defense electronics, radar, EW, and avionics development programs.
Data Center Acceleration
Co-optimized with AMD Xilinx’s Vivado® Design Suite, the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E integrates smoothly into HLS-based (High-Level Synthesis) acceleration workflows for machine learning inference, database search acceleration, and genomics.
Development Tools and Software Support
| Tool |
Description |
| Vivado® Design Suite |
Primary synthesis, implementation, and bitstream generation tool |
| Vitis™ Platform |
High-level design and hardware/software co-development |
| Xilinx Power Estimator (XPE) |
Early-stage and post-implementation power analysis |
| IP Integrator (IPI) |
Block design environment for integrating Xilinx IP cores |
| ChipScope Pro / ILA |
On-chip debug and signal capture |
AMD Xilinx’s Vivado tools are specifically co-optimized for UltraScale devices to achieve rapid design closure at high utilization, a key advantage over competing FPGA toolchains.
XCKU040-1FFVA1156E vs. Related Variants
Engineers selecting within the XCKU040 family should note the differences between package and temperature options:
| Part Number |
Speed Grade |
Package |
Temp Grade |
| XCKU040-1FFVA1156C |
-1 |
FCBGA-1156 |
Commercial (0°C to 85°C) |
| XCKU040-1FFVA1156E |
-1 |
FCBGA-1156 |
Extended (–40°C to 100°C) |
| XCKU040-1FFVA1156I |
-1 |
FCBGA-1156 |
Industrial (–40°C to 100°C) |
| XCKU040-2FFVA1156E |
-2 |
FCBGA-1156 |
Extended (–40°C to 100°C) |
| XCKU040-3FFVA1156E |
-3 |
FCBGA-1156 |
Extended (–40°C to 100°C) |
The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E is footprint-compatible with Kintex UltraScale+ devices in the A1156 package, enabling straightforward migration to higher-performance or lower-power variants in future design iterations without PCB redesign.
Ordering and Availability Information
| Attribute |
Detail |
| Manufacturer Part Number |
XCKU040-1FFVA1156E |
| Manufacturer |
AMD (formerly Xilinx) |
| Package |
FCBGA-1156 |
| Tray / Packaging |
Tray |
| Lifecycle Status |
Production (Active) |
| ECCN |
3E001 |
| HTS Code |
8542.39.00.01 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does the “E” suffix mean in XCKU040-1FFVA1156E?
The “E” designates the Extended temperature grade, meaning the device is rated for operation from –40°C to +100°C junction temperature. This makes it appropriate for industrial, telecom, and other applications that exceed the 0°C–85°C range of commercial-grade parts.
How many transceivers does the XCKU040 have?
The XCKU040 in the FFVA1156 package includes 20 GTY transceivers, each supporting line rates up to 16.3 Gb/s. These transceivers are highly configurable and support protocols such as PCIe Gen3, 10GbE, CPRI, and many more.
Is the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E compatible with XCKU040 UltraScale+?
The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E is footprint-compatible with Kintex UltraScale+ devices sharing the same A1156 package code. This allows hardware designers to swap to an UltraScale+ variant in future board revisions without changing the PCB layout.
What design software supports the XCKU040-1FFVA1156E?
AMD Xilinx’s Vivado Design Suite is the primary tool. All synthesis, implementation, timing analysis, and bitstream generation for this device are supported in Vivado 2015.4 and later, with enhanced support in current releases.
What is the core supply voltage for this FPGA?
The XCKU040-1FFVA1156E operates with a VCCINT supply of 0.922V to 0.979V (nominal 0.95V for -1 speed grade). The -1L low-power variant supports operation down to 0.90V for additional power savings.
